MCFADDEN PART OF DEEP CLASS

Ex-SDSU standout likely to go between second and fourth rounds

Depending on which NFL Draft guru’s projection you examine, San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden could go as high as the second round or as late at the fourth beginning April 25.

McFadden’s not really concerned.

“I’m trying not to pay attention to it,” McFadden said after SDSU’s pro day in March, adding that he just wants to get drafted as high as possible and get a shot to play in the NFL. “It doesn’t matter where. I’ll just go to that program and help to get wins.”

At 5-feet-10, 193 pounds, McFadden is generally considered a solid cover corner with a high football IQ.

“I’m a student of the game. They’re really high on that, how I am on the board, and how I carry myself off the field,” McFadden said in a phone interview last week.

As a result, he has drawn comparisons to Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes, which is flattering because Grimes and Deion Sanders are the two NFL players whom McFadden has tried to model his game after.

In the weeks since SDSU’s Pro Day, McFadden said he has met with the Falcons and Chargers and is currently in Houston visiting with the Texans.

The Chargers could very well pick up a young cornerback in the draft.

They lost 2012 starter Antoine Cason to the Cardinals in free agency and have yet to re-sign 33-year-old Quentin Jammer. Former Jaguar Derek Cox will likely be a starter, with Marcus Gilchrist and Shareece Wright competing for the other spot.

There are three guys who sit head and shoulders above the rest in this year’s draft class of cornerbacks.

Alabama’s Dee Milliner, Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes and Washington’s Desmond Trufant are all projected to go in the first round.

The Chargers are widely expected to take an offensive tackle in the first round, so by the time they get around to addressing their need at cornerback, all three top guys might be gone.

But the good news is that there’s a deep pool of talented cornerbacks available in this year’s draft.

Taylor, in particular, is considered a potential shutdown corner. But all four have size, speed and cover skills.

McFadden falls into the third tier of cornerbacks. He’s in the company of players such as Connecticut tandem Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz, and most analysts seem to have him ranked just a shade under former LSU standout Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu.

The biggest difference between McFadden and Mathieu (who was ultimately dismissed from the LSU program in 2012)?

McFadden doesn’t come with any off-field character issues.

Talent evaluators appear to like him as a slot corner, and even though he’s a hair shorter than ideal for the position, no one seems concerned about his height because he makes up for it with good quickness and technique.